What is in control of your life? Who, or what makes the decisions? What calls the shots? Is it your appetite? Desires? Plans? Hopes? Dreams….or is it Jesus? What Christ desires of us is surrender. That we would relinquish what control we think we have, over to the One who holds all things. But…it’s not as easy as it sounds! So many voices vying for our attention, so many things claiming to be true…how does God’s man know what to do? Join us for week two of One Changed Man, where we’ll unpack the freedom we find when Jesus Christ becomes the King over our entire lives.

We often wonder what difference our life is making, or if it is making a difference at all. In such a vast world it is easy to feel insignificant. BUT…the Creator God has planned, purposed, and placed Every Man to make an impact for His Kingdom. The true question is not if my life is having an impact, but rather what kind of impact is my life having? As God begins to change us, to transform us He always does so with a purpose in mind. We are changed, to be used to change others. What can our God do, through One Changed Man? In this series we’ll study the lives of 4 men whom God changed, and then used powerfully to change many others.

In the Star Wars meta-verse there is one saying you can count on when something intense or meaningful is going to take place. Do you know what it is? When one character in the resistance must leave or separate from another brother in the resistance to head out to battle the dark side, the one staying will always say to the other: "May the force be with you." Upon leaving earth to return to heaven Jesus asked the Father to protect his men who would remain on earth to fight evil and advance his Kingdom as well. His prayer would travel down through the ages to this moment, to me, and to you as we enter the battles of our era in his name. He asked for UNITY among his men so the world would know that He was the Son of God. In other words, Jesus says "The force is with US." He says that the power of his kingdom will manifest when his people are unified AS ONE.

Ever heard a friendship described as two people being "thick as thieves"?  It means they have secrets and experiences only they know about - they are bonded by unique history and events.  Their connection is THICK.  The fact of friendships is that the good ones cost you.  A price has been paid for it - choices that reflect uninhibited commitment.   It is rare air to find and keep a relationship like this.  Few reach that space - as it should be.   They have "place."  Imagine the small triangle space at the top a large pyramid versus the large spacious base.  That's the difference between consecrated relationships which are few and casual relationships which are many.  The Bible says to "consecrate yourselves to the Lord" or set that relationship apart as special.  The same is true with godly friendships.  Who in your life is "set apart" as friends under God? Who is at the top of the pyramid?  Who is a true forever brother? What does spiritually "thick" look like?

No one disagrees with this simple fact: relationships are a risk- especially at the start. You can't know before the fact if they are gonna work out. At the same time, when your risk of connecting was rewarded with close, lifelong friendship you believe the risk we took was worth it! The same is true with God. We must - by faith - risk toward the relationship without knowing the outcome in advance and we are glad we did! Jesus delights in our faith placed in him, his ways, and his words. If that's the model - risking for relationship - then how does that apply to the family of God and being a brother? For those relationships to be great shouldn't we have to risk as well? But how? In what specific ways? Are you ready to take the leap into better community? If so, God says you are gonna have to take some new risks.

Masculine and intimacy are not a natural pairing of words.  And yet, survey after survey shows that the greatest need among men to combat isolation is closeness with a few other men.  If you follow Jesus, know THIS:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are close.  The Bible represents our own relationship with God as a Good Shepherd who loves the sheep and the sheep desperately need him and each other.  But because of cultural, familial, religious, or traumatic factors men are failing at friendships.  In fact, every 11 minutes, desperation and deception win, a man believes a suicide lie and takes life - literally - with his own hand.  While you may not be in that category, every man is vulnerable when isolated to believe things.  The "solution" is community - the real kind you drink in like a fine wine and treasure.  Do you have that?  Solid, consistent, meaningful connection is God's plan.  But no one can force you.  Could it be that the missing piece of your "success" formula is simply better friendships? GO TO: promisedlandliving.com/emm 

God has a plan for your friendships. Do you know what that is? Seems silly but most men don't enter into things which could change the course of their lives dramatically without doing a little research first. But when it comes to the men closest to us we tend to have a "go with he flow mentality" as long as we are having fun and no one is getting harmed. This lack of intentionality in community is definitely NOT God's plan. In fact, God's Word is crystal clear with respect to what he wants for your community of buddies who know Jesus and are connected to you -- and it is not as simple as gathering and studying the Bible. It SO MUCH MORE! The bottom line for Christ-centered brotherhood is a willingness to risk in the direction of your identity in Christ and then live that identity out with other men in community as intentionally as possible.

What one word comes to mind when you think about God? Loving? All powerful? Gracious? Truth? God is many things all at once but a word not frequently used to describe God is RELATIONAL. In Jesus' final prayer to the Father about and for us he paints a picture of interwoven relationship that he desires for you and me with God at the center: "...that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me and I in You, that they may also be in US, so that the world will believe You sent Me." Close, eternal bonds are the driving force for the Godhead and his people. Can the same be said of God's men today? Are we connected eternally first and socially, professionally, and ethnically second? Is our identity and its connection to eternity resulting in a powerfully intimate and strong community? Jesus said to his men, "For one is your Teacher and you are all brothers." Then, just like now, acting and connecting like forever brothers holds the key to the life God wants for us. You can't become like Jesus by yourself. You can if you have FOREVER BROTHERS taking you deeper. Do you?

“It is only the true gospel that protects the heart of God’s man. But, what does it protect him from? From the love of money, from the pursuit of worldly things, and from ever thinking he can either EARN or LOSE the love of God. For God’s man, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is everything. Don’t miss the sixth and final session in our series “Inside Out”.

Why is it that the elderly are so revered in scripture, and so ignored in culture? When did men decide to take cues from our culture or our flesh rather than the word of God? 1 Timothy 5 will begin with a quick counter cultural calling for God's man to honor the more aged members of society...but the truth doesn't stop there! Join us for week 5 of From The Inside Out!

Our culture is eroding truth itself. We have subjective versions of truth; your truth, my truth…but, how do we know what is ACTUALLY the truth? We will only be able to spot a lie, to the extent that we know the truth. So what do we do? As God’s Man we feast on the truth…DAILY! Join us as we unpack 1 Timothy 4, in our series “From The Inside Out!